Data buffering method

Abstract

In a data processing and buffering method, at least one read cycles are asserted to obtain at least one data, respectively, wherein each of the data includes at least one sub data and each data is specified with an address pointer and an enable bit array. When a certain sub data is received, the corresponding bit of the enable bit array is enabled. The corresponding sub data of the enabled bit is indicated by the address pointer.

1. A data processing and buffering method, comprising steps of:
 asserting at least one read cycle to obtain at least one data with at least one sub data, each data being specified with an address pointer and an enable bit array, wherein each bit of the enable bit array corresponds to one of the sub data and a value of the address pointer indicates a bit of the enable bit array; 
 enabling a corresponding bit of the enable bit array when receiving a sub data; and 
 transferring the corresponding sub data when the enabled bit of the enable bit array is indicated by the value of the address pointer. 
 
     
     
       2. The method according to  claim 1  further comprising a step of resetting the enabled bit after the corresponding sub data is transferred. 
     
     
       3. The method according to  claim 1  further comprising a step of adding the value of the address pointer by one to indicate next bit of the enable bit array after transferring the corresponding sub data. 
     
     
       4. The method according to  claim 3  further comprising a step of transferring next corresponding sub data when the next bit of the enable bit array is enabled. 
     
     
       5. The method according to  claim 1  wherein when two or more adjacent bits including the bit indicated by the value of the address pointer are enabled, the corresponding two or more sub data are transferred one after one. 
     
     
       6. The method according to  claim 1  wherein when two or more adjacent bits including the bit indicated by the value of the address pointer, the corresponding two or more sub data are transferred as a whole. 
     
     
       7. The method according to  claim 1  wherein when two or more bits of different enable bit arrays are enabled and indicated by values of respective address pointers at the same time, the corresponding two or more sub data are transferred in a sequence determined by an arbitration mechanism. 
     
     
       8. A data buffering method for transferring a data from a data buffer to a bus, the data including n sub data, and the method comprising steps of:
 receiving and storing a sub data of the data in the data buffer; 
 determining if the received sub data is in the highest transfer priority among the sub data of the data having not been transferred to the bus according to an enable bit array having n bits respectively corresponding to the n sub data and an address pointer having n kinds of value for respectively indicating the n bits of the enable bit array; and 
 transferring the received sub data from the data buffer to the bus when the received sub data is determined to be in the highest transfer priority among sub data of either the first data or the second data. 
 
     
     
       9. The method according to  claim 8  further comprising steps of:
 detecting whether there is any additional sub data having been stored in the data buffer and having a transfer priority next to the transfer priority of the received sub data when the received sub data is determined to be in the highest priority; and 
 integrating the additional sub data with the received sub data and transferring the integrated sub data from the data buffer to the bus when the integrated sub data comply with a criterion. 
 
     
     
       10. The method according to  claim 9  wherein the integrated sub data comply with the criterion when a size of the integrated sub data meets the requirement of a max-payload-size rule. 
     
     
       11. The method according to  claim 8  wherein the received sub data is determined to be in the highest transfer priority if the value of the address pointer currently indicates the bit of the enable bit array corresponding to the received sub data. 
     
     
       12. The method according to  claim 11  wherein the value of the address pointer is updated to indicate next bit after the received sub data is transferred, so as to determine next sub data in the highest transfer priority among the sub data having not been transferred to the bus. 
     
     
       13. The method according to  claim 8  wherein each of the n bits of the enable bit array is preset to be “0”, and a bit is switched to “1” when a corresponding sub data is received and then switched back to “0” after the corresponding sub data is transferred.